Tinsel packaging carton



Jan. 10, 1961 Filed Aug. 8, 1956 W. F. PROTZ TINSEL PACKAGING CARTON 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR VV/W/am F Profz ATTORNEY Jan. 10, 1961 w. F. PROTZ TINSEL PACKAGING CARTON 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 8, 1956 INVENTOR Wl/lmm Pr'wz ATTORNEY United States Patent TINSEL PACKAGING CARTON William F. Protz, Manitowoc, Wis., assignor to National Tinsel Mfg. Company, Manitowoc County, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin Filed Aug. 8, 1956, Ser. No. 602,804

1 Claim. (Cl. 229-30) This invention relates to an improvement in cartons and deals particularly with a carton useful in the packaging of tinsel or other material of this type.

Tinsel of the type used in ornamenting Christmas trees and the lights is usually produced in long strings of lead or aluminum foil and this material is usually supported upon a paperboard card or the like. The elongated strings of tinsel are usually passed about suitable ears of pads which are bent out of the plane of the supporting card, such ears or pads usually engaging the tinsel intermediate the ends of the strings. Unless some means is provided for confining the ends of the strings of tinsel, these strings become a mass of material which is not attractive in display and which is sometimes difiicult to disentagle for use.

An object of the present invention lies in the provision of a simple and efiective set up carton including an elongated base upon which the centrally doubled strings of tinsel may be placed. An anchoring member is hinged up from this base and the centers of the doubled strings are looped around this anchoring member. The ends of the strings are placed in longitudinal relationship on the base with the two ends of the strings in substantially parallel relation. A means is provided for holding these ends in a desired relationship so that the strings of tinsel do not change position during storage and shipment.

A feature of the present invention resides in the pro vision of a carton which is elongated in form and which is provided at opposite ends with tubular body portions. The doubled center portions of the strings are enclosed within one of these tubular portions and the ends of the strings are enclosed within the opposite tubular portion. Thus the center portions of the strings are readily visible for display purposes and at the same time the portions of the string at both ends of the carton are enclosed and sealed.

A further feature of the present invention lies in the provision of a carton having a pair of tubular enclosures at opposite ends thereof and in providing tubular connecting means between these tubular ends. These tubular connecting means form a solid and rigid connection between the ends of the carton and also result in providing the carton with a rectangular outline so that the carton may be overwrapped if desired on our regular overwr'apping equipment.

A further feature of the present invention lies in the fact that the center portion of the base panel is cut away and the portions forming the center portion of the base panel are folded to produce the longitudinal tubular struts which connect the opposite ends of the carton.

A further feature of the present invention resides in the provision of a carton of the type described which is formed from a generally rectangular blank so that the carton may be economically produced.

These and other objects and novel features of the present invention will be more clearly and fully set forth in the following specification claim.

In the drawings forming a part of the specification:

2,967,653 Patented Jan. 10, 1961 'Figure 1 is a perspective View of the completed and filled carton after the same has been overwrapped with a transparent covering material.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the carton blank at the completion of the first forming operation.

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view through the canton, the position of the section being indicated by the line 3-3 of Figure 4.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the carton after one end of the carton has been closed, the con-tents of the carton having been omitted for the purpose of simplifying the disclosure.

Figure 5 is a longitudinal sectional view through the carton in the form illustrated in Figure 4, the position of the section being indicated by the line 5-5 of Figure 4.

Figure 6 is 'a sectional view longitudinally through the filled carton, the position of the section being indicated by the line 6-6 of Figure 1, and the overwrapping being omitted to simplify the illustration.

Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view through an end of the carton, the position of the section being indicated by the line 7-7 of Figure 4.

Figure 8 is a diagrammatic view of the blank from which the carton is formed.

The drawings illustrate a carton which has been produced for the packaging of tinsel and accordingly the package has been described as being specifically useful for this purpose. Obviously, the package can be adapted for other means by slight modification which might well be within the scope of one skilled in the art.

The carton is indicated in general by the letter A and is formed of a suitable carton board or the like which may or may not be printed with a suitable design. The carton includes a generally rectangular base panel 10 which is hingedly connected along its ends 11 and 12 by suitable fold lines to end walls 13 and 14 respectively. The end wall 13 is hingedly connected along a fold line 15 to a top panel 16. A top panel 16 is in turn connected along a fold line 17 to an anchoring panel 19. The end edge of the panel 19 which is parallel to the line of fold 17 is preferably corrugated or wavy in form as illustrated by the numeral 20 for a purpose which will be later described more in detail.

The end wall 14 is hingedly connected along a fold line 21 to a top panel 22. The top panel 22 is designed to fold in parallel spaced relation to the base panel 10 to overlie an end portion thereof.

Longitudinally extending wall flaps or flanges 23 and 24- are hingedly connected to opposite longitudinal edges of the bottom panel 10 along parallel fold lines 25 and 26 respectively. The top wall panel 16 is also provided with side wall flaps 27 and 29 which are foldably connected to opposite edges of the top panel 16 along parallel lines of fold 30 and 31. In usual practice, the fold lines 30 and 31 are substantially aligned with the previously described fold lines 25 and 26 foldably connecting the side walls 23 and 24 to the base panel 10.

The top panel 22 is also provided with side wall flaps '32 and 33 which are foldably connected to the top panel 22 along parallel lines of fold 34 and 35. The lines of fold 34 and 35 are usually substantially aligned with the previously described fold lines 25 and 26 defining the longitudinal edges of the bottom panel 10.

The end walls 13 and 14 are illustrated as having no flaps hingedly connecting to the side edges thereof. Such flaps may be provided if desired as they tend to assist in squaring up the carton during the assembly thereof; However such flaps are not necessary or required and have been omitted from the present construction.

A transverse out line 36 extends across the bottom panel 10 of the carton, this cut line 36 terminating in spaced relation to the fold lines 25 and 26. A parallel cut line 37 also extends transversely of the bottom panel and also terminates short of the fold lines and 26. The distance between the out line 36 and the fold line 11, defining the end of the bottom panel 10, is substantially equal to the width of the top panel 16 so that the edge 17 of this top panel will be directly above the cut line 36 in folded form of the carton. The out line 37 is spaced from the adjacent fold line 12 defining the opposite end of the bottom panel 10. A distance equal to the width of the top panel 22 so that the free edge 39 of the top panel 22 will be directly above the cut line 37 in finished form of the carton.

A generally triangular tab 40 is cut from the bottom panel 10 along diverging cut lines 41 and 42. These cut lines 41 and 42 are preferably wavy or corrugated in form to better engage the strings of tinsel wrap about the same. The end of the triangular tab 40 is provided with a generally T-shaped extension 43 including a central stem 44 and a laterally extending cross member 45 secured thereto. This T-shaped extension is marginally cut from the body of the bottom panel 10.

On the portions of the bottom panel 10 and between the cross member 45 of the T-shaped projection 43 and the outer ends of the cut lines 41 and 42 is cut away along the cut lines 46 and 47, to form generally triangular openings 49 and 50 on opposite sides of the central neck 44 of the T-shaped extension 43. As a result of this construction, the triangular tab 40, together with its T-shaped projection 43,.may be flexed out of the plane of the bottom panel 10 so that the center portions of the strands of tinsel may be wrapped about the neck portion 44 of the extension and over the wavy sides 41 and 42 of the tab 40.

A central cut line 51 extends between the center portions of the cut lines 36 and 37 preferably midway between the fold lines 25 and 26. This arrangement provides generally rectangular tabs or panel portions which may be folded out of the plane of the base panel 10. Parallel fold lines 52 and 53 lie in space parallel relation to the fold lines 25 and 26 so that these rectangular portions may be folded. The space between the fold lines 52 and 53 and the center cut line 51 is divided into three sections by parallel fold lines. Fold lines 54 and 55 divide the area between the fold line 52 and the cut line 51 into three hingedly connected panels. Similarly fold lines 56 and 57 divide the space between the fold line 53 and the cut line 51 into three hingedly connected rectangular panels. The panels on one side of the center out line 51 are defined by the numerals 59, 60, and 61. The panels on the opposite side of the out line 51 are indicated by the numerals 62, 63, and 64.

The various panels described are so proportioned as to produce tubular struts on opposite sides of the carton body. The panels 59 and 62 are approximately the same width as the side wall panels 23 and 24. The panels 60 and 63 are substantially equal with the spaces between the fold lines 52 and 25, and between the fold lines 53 and 26. The end panels 61 and 64 are of no greater width than the height of the side walls 23 and 24, and are preferably of substantially equal width therewith. Accordingly struts which are rectangular in cross section may be produced.

The carton thus formed is set up into finished form in the manner illustrated in Figures 2 to 7 of the draw ings. The first step of the operation is usually to fold up the side wall flaps or panels 23 and 24 into right angular relation with the base panel 10.

The cut-away center portion of the carton is then folded by folding the panels 59 and 62 up into right angular relation with the bottom panel 10. The structure is then folded along the fold lines 54 and 56 so that the panels 60 and 63 lie in parallel spaced relation to the bottom panel 10. The flaps 61 and 64 arethen folded into surface contact with the outer surfaces of the side walls 23 and 24 and are adhered or otherwise secured thereto. When this has been done, the elongated carton is provided with upstanding sidewalls extending throughout its length and tubular center portions extending along opposite longitudinal edges of the carton blank.

When the carton A is in the condition illustrated in Figure 2 of the drawings the contents of the package may be inserted. When the package is used for supporting tinsel or the like, the doubled strands of tinsel are wrapped about the center portion 44 of the T-shaped projection 43, the tab 40 and the T-shaped projection being first hinged out of the plane of the bottom panel so that this may be accomplished. Because of the thickness of the strands of tinsel and a tendency for the strands to remain in a common plane, the tab and T-shaped projection remain at an acute angle to the bottom panel 10 as is best illustrated in Figure 6 of the drawings.

The ends of the strands are placed to overlie the bottom panel 10 between the tubular side struts which have been formed, the ends of the strands overlying the portion of the bottom panel 10 which is to the left of the cut line 36 as viewed in the drawings.

One end of the carton may then be closed. This may be accomplished by folding the carton blank along the fold line 12 so that the end wall 14 extends upwardly in right angular relation with the bottom panel 10. The top panel 22 is next folded down into parallel relation with the bottom panel 10. The side flaps 32 and 33 hingedly connected to the top panel 22 are folded downwardly along their respective fold lines 34 and 35 into surface contact with the outer surfaces of the side walls 23 and 24. The flaps are secured or adhered to the side walls with the ends of the flaps in abutting relation to the ends of the flaps 61 and 64 which have previously been adhered to these side walls.

The folding of the carton blank may then be completed. The end wall 13 is folded upwardly along the fold line 11 to extend in right angular relation to the base panel 10. The top panel 16 is next folded along the fold line 15 so as to lie parallel to and above the base panel 10. During this folding operation, the anchoring flap 19 is also folded along the fold line 17 so that this flap is directed downwardly and to the end 11 of the bottom panel 10. When in this downwardly and outwardly inclined position, the edge 20 of the flap engages against the ends of the strands of tinsel resting upon the bottom panel 10 and holds these strands in a particular relation. Usually the ends of these strands are spread evenly through the width of the carton and thus may be effectively gripped by the anchoring panel 19.

When the top panel 16 is in parallel relation with the bottom panel 10, the side flaps 27 and 29 may be folded down along the fold lines 30 and 31 so that these flaps may be adhered or otherwise secured to the outer surfaces of the side walls 23 and 24. The ends of the flaps 27 and 29 abut against the ends of the flaps 61 and 64 which have been previously adhered to these side walls. Thus the outer surface of the side walls of the completed carton are on a common plane throughout the length of the carton. Furthermore as the tubular struts connecting opposite ends of the carton are of the same height as the side walls, the panels 16 and 22 are on substantially the same plane as the panels 69 and 63 when the carton is closed.

If desired the carton may then be overwrapped with a transparent covering indicated by the letter B" which acts in effect to form transparent windows through which the contents of the package may be viewed regardless of which side of the package is uppermost. Furthermore in view of the specific manner in which the blank is formed, the paperboard of which the carton is formed may be provided with a finished surface on one side only of the sheet and need be printed on one side only of the sheet, as only one side of the sheet is visible when the carton is completed.

In a ccordance with the patent statutes I have described the principles of construction and operation of my set-up carton, and while I have endeavored to set forth the best embodiment thereof, I desire to have it understood that obvious changes may be made Within the scope of the following claim without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim:

A blank comprising a generally rectangular paperboard sheet cut and creased to provide an elongated rectangular bottom panel, side wall panels foldably connected to two parallel edges thereof, end wall panels foldably connected to the remaining edges of said bottom panel, top wall panels foldably connected to said end wall panels along parallel fold lines, side wall panels foldably connected to the side edges of said top panels, the combined length of said top panels being substantially less than the length of said bottom panel between said remaining edges thereof, a pair of opposed flap structures foldably connected to said bottom panel along parallel fold lines, said flap structures being formed by a central out line parallel to said first two parallel edges of said 6 bottom panel, and transverse cut lines extending from the ends of said central cut lines toward said first two parallel edges, said flap structures being divided by paral lel fold lines into three panels comprising inner side wall panels, top panels, and other side panels.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 649,462 Laden May 15, 1900 1,566,505 Penkerton Dec. 22, 1925 1,706,859 Peter Mar. 26, 1929 1,791,196 Deutschmeister Feb. 3, 1931 1,837,602 Walter Dec. 22, 1931 2,132,957 Mahone Oct. 11, 1938 2,283,950 Ringler May 26, 1942 2,388,243 Arneson Nov. 6, 1945 2,568,204 Reeser Sept. 18, 1951 2,711,819 Vander Lugt June 28, 1955 2,807,404 Cote Sept. 24, 1957 2,827,220 Levkoif Mar. 18, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS 466,642 Italy Nov. 7, 1951 

